Voice Of The People

Exclusive interview with Svatantradev Singh, UP General Secretary, BJP

Pradip Bhandari, the Founder of Jan Ki Baat, spoke to General Secretary of Uttar Pradesh for the Bhartiya Janata Party, in-charge of the Prime Minister’s speeches at the rallies in the State, Svatantradev Singh. Addressing the rumours that the developmental motto of the party is lost, Mr Singh said that “Hindutva is vikaas.” Last time that the State of Uttar Pradesh witness development was during Kalyan Singh’s BJP government. Who’s actually making efforts to develop UP now, asks Mr Singh. It was under Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s period that saw rural lands being connected with the mainstream through the National Highways. Loans, too, were given to the needy during Vajpaaye’s Prime Ministerial era. Narendra Modi, too, will walk in the same frame as these great BJP stalwarts. When asked by the BJP hasn’t yet fielded a candidate for the CM’s post, Mr Singh said that waiting for the right time is important instead of listing a corrupt, dishonest, communal face (referring to Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi) for the CM’s seat; “Rahul’s government robbed the nation and Akhilesh’s robbed the State.” BJP workers, unlike the BSP or SP’s, work for their party and its goal of growth and development. Under SP’s rule, even basic necessities like water and electricity were not able to reach rural areas- the BJP will overturn this biased approach by ensuring universal welfare schemes. Central government’s schemes, Kisan Credit Card, PM BIMA Yojna, Mudra Bank, are all evidences of the BJP’s willingness. When questioned about the lack of even a s ingle Muslim candidate in the list of candidates, Mr Singh said that it is the SP and the BSP that rely on vote-bank politics; “Sabka saath sabka vikaas is a strong motto; the benefits of our schemes affect the Hindu and Muslim alike.”

The UP Elections 2017 would prove itself as a battleground for a number of parties and for a number of reason. The poll-pound state would bear witness to the clash between 3 different, politically, ideologically as well as socially, parties: emergence of Akhilesh Yadav is one of the SP’s major concerns and the recent SP-Congress tie-up reveals this anxiety; the Bahujan Samaj Party led by Mayawati hopes to redeem its political future and rid itself off of charges of corruption; the BJP, too, hopes to capture the State’s seats to achieve its vision of a Congress-mukt India.

Mr Singh is partly right when he said that real growth is said to occur when the everyday concerns are being addressed efficiently: availability of gas cylinders, electricity in the farthest of regions, no price hike, being few of such concerns. These are ultimately what a developing country like India lacks and must work on. But can BJP fulfil its promises?

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